1

Cruising Guide
to
French Guiana

The three Guyanas: French Guiana, Suriname and Guyana, formerly known as French, Dutch
and British Guyana respectively, are reasonably crime-free, and certainly violent crime-free,
compared to much of the Caribbean or to Brazil, and there is no danger of hurricanes. Hence
they are becoming more attractive as a place to spend some of the hurricane season for those
who would normally be based in the Caribbean.

This document is a short cruising guide to French Guiana by James Collier and Fiona Knights
who cruised here during 2016 on the sailing yacht “Awelina of Sweden” and is available as a
free pdf download for members of the Cruising Association.

The authors will be pleased to hear of any errors, omissions or updates.






Version 1.2, 23rd November 2017

 2
General Information

La Guyane Française (French Guiana) henceforth Guyane, is part of France, with the same
formalities for customs and immigration including requirement for visas. No stamp in a
passport is required for EEA citizens however the next country one visits, be it Brazil or
Suriname, will nonetheless insist one has such a stamp, and also ask for evidence of customs
clearance. Hence both Customs and immigration need visiting on arrival in French Guiana and
again on exit and one may have to insist on a stamp in one’s passport. Convenient ports of
entry / exit are Dégrad des Cannes, Kourou and Saint-Laurent-du-Maroni. Yellow fever
vaccination is mandatory, not so much because certificates will be asked for on arrival but
because the next country visited will not let one enter if coming from Guyane unless
vaccinated.

The plus point for La Guyane is that it’s the France of 30 years ago: the language is French,
with extremely little English or any other European language being spoken, and habits as
regards meal times, tipping etc are all as in France. Shopping and restaurants are excellent
and a vast range of goods and foodstuffs imported from France are readily available. The
minus point is that it’s the France of 30 years ago: all leisure facilities shut for lunch, on
Sundays, and on any conceivable holiday, or if there’s a strike.

Water is potable and electricity and sewerage are reliable. Electric plugs are standard
European 220V round pin plugs, and the Voltage is 220V, 50Hz. Internet speeds are generally
good and there are several mobile phone operators, in particular Digicell, with good 2G and
3G coverage although as of 2016 there were no 4G networks.

 3
The health service is good for this part of the world and European health cards are accepted
entitling any EU citizen to free medical care. The standard of doctors is high, essentially that
of France, so it is a good place to be ill and require an operation, but nursing care is more as
one would expect this close to the equator. There is some danger of malaria (palourdisme in
French) in the interior but not in the coastal regions so normally no prophylaxis is required by
those visiting by yacht.

Navionics charts are on the whole quite accurate and can be used with reasonable
confidence, although the positions of buoys in the channels do move and so one should
proceed with caution. The coast around the old port of Cayenne is however currently subject
to very rapid movement, and the coast-line has moved by more than 1km over the last 25
years, so no charts can be considered very accurate. The time zone is UTC -3, and there is no
summer time. French SHOM charts can be obtained in Cayenne, but these only cover the tiny
fraction of the coast which has been surveyed recently and must be considered an expensive
luxury which can only be obtained once one no longer needs them.

In contrast the IGN produce an excellent series of detailed (1:25,000) maps, of which:
- 4713: Cayenne & Dégrad des Cannes
- 4702: Saint Laurent du Maroni
- 4701: Awale-Yalimapo
- 4703: Mana
- 4711: Kourou
- 4717: Kaw
may prove the most useful. Curiously, the Iles du Salut are not on any of these. Maps for Tom-
Tom are also available and can prove useful, not only when driving but in fact show the creeks
more accurately than do Navionics!



 4
Dégrad des Cannes

HW: Iles Du Salut +1:06. LW: Iles du Salut + 1:12
MHWS MLWS MHWN MLWN
2.6m 0.1m 2.1m 0.6m

SWM: 04° 57.18’N, 052° 09.40’W

Entrance. Dégrad des Cannes lies on the N bank of the Fleuve Mahury. To enter the river it is
essential to first find the safe-water mark ‘DC’ (red and white vertical stripes, Racon), and
then follow the buoyed channel on 222° into the river: it is dredged with least depth
maintained to 4.2m in the centre of the channel and is extremely well marked. There are daily
broadcasts (in French) on ch79 at 09:30, 13:30 and 17:30 LT giving weather forecasts and
navigation warnings with details of the latest buoy positions. Navionics charts are generally
accurate except perhaps for the latest buoy positions.

Offshore dangers. Either side of the buoyed channel, about 2.5 miles apart and 3.5 from
shore, lie Les Îles Remire, both about 100m high, comprising the pair of La Mère to port and
Le Père to starboard. An adventurous sailor could nose out the anchorage, in about 2.5m, on
the west side of Le Père but otherwise they are easily avoided.
 5
The 54m high islet of Le Grand Connétable lies 15 miles ESE. This has an exclusion zone of
radius 2 miles as it’s a nature reserve with strict regulations about visiting and it’s best to take
a licensed tourist boat if determined to go. Les battures du Connétable, a patch of rocks with
least depth 1.4m, lie about 6 miles NxW of Le Grand Connétable. Neither hazards are lit and
should be given a berth of at least 2 miles, and to pass between the two would possibly be
foolhardy.

The commercial port is
on the north, ie
starboard bank. It is the
main port in Guyane,
with plans to extend in
order to accommodate
oil exploration support
vessels following the
recent discovery of
offshore reserves, and
the marina, which is only
about 200m further on,
is under threat as it is the
logical place for the oil
exploration base to be
constructed.
Port of Dégrad des Cannes


Marina
Pontoons. The marina comprises a couple of
pontoons with a strong live-aboard community. A
visitor is unlikely to get an alongside berth as
there is little turnover (few, if any, yachts here
are sea-worthy) but there is plenty of space to
anchor. The marina manager, M. Réginal Valcide,
is notionally around between 08:00 and 09:00
and again between 12:00 and 13:00 each day. His
telephone number is +594 20 94 43.

Marina pontoon looking downstream And looking upstream

 6
Anchorage. Visiting yachts anchor just off the marina or a little way upstream in about 4.5m
(avoid anchoring just off the slipway). There is a strong stream but good holding in mud.

Toilets and showers are to be found in the portacabin
nearby (see left), and water and electricity are available on
the pontoon but no laundry or other facilities on site, and
none locally either. Some of the live-aboards set up a
domestic washing machine on the pontoon from time to
time.

Chandlery. There is a quite well-stocked chandlery,
‘Marine et Loisirs’, 1.5km away just outside the main gates
of the commercial port on Rue des Enteprises, telephone +594 35 97 97. It is open 08:30 –
12:30 and 15:00 – 18:00 on weekdays and 08:30 – 12:30 on Saturdays. Opposite the chandlery
there is a bar/restaurant which opens infrequently.

Fuel and gas. Despite the main bottled gas depot for the country being in the adjacent
industrial estate, neither gas nor fuel are available near-by.

Customs. The customs office is also close by (see
Douane on the plan opposite). Between the marina
and the port is an industrial estate with a saw-mill /
timber yard and the main botted gas plant for
Guyane.

Slipway. One could get hauled out by crane – which
would have to be come specially from Cayenne and
so would not be cheap - but several yachts lie ashore
having been so hauled out. It is in fact the only place
in Guyane with the space to store a yacht ashore in
any kid of security and with room to work on it.

There is a large area of hard-standing at the head of the slip. One yacht can be seen at anchor just off the pontoon

Facilities. To access any facilities, indeed to exist here at all, a bicycle is probably essential. It
is ~8km along the scenic coast road (the D1) to Montjoly where there are several restaurants,
particularly along the beach front, and a few shops. Along this road one passes the historic
Fort Diamant. From Montjoly it’s a further 5km into Cayenne proper.

Supermarket. If one takes the same coast road inland about 4km to the suburb of Rémire
there is a large and excellent Super-U supermarket.
 7
Cayenne

HW: Iles Du Salut +0:32. LW: Iles du Salut + 0:22
MHWS MLWS MHWN MLWN
2.6m 0.1m 2.1m 0.6m

CA buoy: 05°02.72’N, 052°18.20’W
Anchorge: 04°56.16’N, 052°20.63’W

The entrance is still buoyed to some extent, with the RWVS safe-water mark ‘CA’ being the
outermost. From there proceed on about 205° with extreme caution looking for the series of
green port-hand buoys C2, C4 and C6, and thence to the anchorage. However the way is
shallow and the best water lies ½ a mile to the east of the buoys C4 and C6, ie pass them on
the ‘wrong’ side. Good weather, local pilotage advice and / or a very shoal draft boat is nearly
essential. Apart from being shallow, the main offshore danger is the reef, with lighthouse Fl
4s, known as L’enfant perdu, which is about 2 miles W of ‘CA’.

The official anchorage is in only about 1.4m and yet is still 300m off the quay and is completely
exposed to the north so it is better to nose in towards the shore. Alternatively one can
proceed up-river where, after further buoys, deeper water (about 3m) can be found in the
centre of the river. Navigation is blocked by a road bridge at Le Larivot, 2.5 miles up-stream
from Cayenne. There is a quay at Le Larivot with deep water alongside which is still used by
some fishing boats but there are numerous wrecks, yachts are not welcome and besides there
are no facilities near-by.

Facilities: as befits a capital city, Cayenne has everything of the modern world including the
usual French big brands and shops as well as light industry, restaurants, bars, museums etc.
But it is very spread out, with much of it in big shopping malls on the RN1 quite far out of
town. The historic city centre has disappointingly few old or distinctive buildings apart from

Government offices in the Place des Palmistes

 8
the government offices which are in the area of the very attractive and leafy square of Place
des Palmistes. Facing the square is the Hotel Palmistes, established in 1908. Much
recommended is to take a coffee or aperitif in the faded Edwardian glamour of its ground-
floor terrace and watch the world go by.

Diagonally across La Place des Palmistes is the Suriname consulate where one can obtain a
visa if intending to go on to Suriname, although these can equally well be obtained at the
consulate in Saint-Laurent-du-Maroni (or, indeed, in Paramaribo itself).

Port. 40 years ago there was a thriving port,
but it has almost entirely disappeared. In fact,
the coast has eroded so that in many places
the shoreline today is 1km or more back from
where it was in the 1980s, and the resulting
material has been deposited so as to make
the whole area strewn with dangerous sand
banks.
Nonetheless a very few yachts do come here,
but invariably these draw no more than about
1.2m and even then have to anchor far from
shore. We spoke only to one such, and he
moved on to Kourou after a very short stay. Eroded shoreline, looking out to sea

Ashore, the port area has largely been

abandoned and the surroundings are neither
functional nor decorative. There is talk of
dredging and building a marina to replace the
one at Dégrad des Cannes, but this seems far-
fetched.

In summary, although Cayenne is where one
has to go to obtain unusual supplies (for
instance Astroturf, or sewing machine parts) it
is not an attractive city to visit by yacht and
Sad remains of the once thriving & historic port of Cayenne without a car would prove frustrating by day
and probably unsafe by night.






 9
Les îles du Salut

HWF&C: moon meridian passage + 03:22
MHWS MLWS MHWN MLWN
3.1m 0.8m 2.5m 1.3m
Note: The tidal reference station for Guyane is now situated at the Isles du Salut

WPT S of Ile St. Joseph: 05°16.50’N, 052°35.00’W
WPT SE of Ile Royale: 05°17.00’N, 052°35.70’W
Anchorage: 05°17.1’N, 052°35.35’W

The Iles du Salut are a group of three closely spaced islands: Ile Royale which is 65m high, Ile
du Diable (Devil’s Island) 44m high and Ile St. Joseph 30m high. They lie about 8 miles off-
shore and can be seen from 15 miles away. They are all densely wooded but as one
approaches buildings can be seen on Ile Royale and Ile St. Joseph. There is a lighthouse on Ile
Royale, Fl (2) 10s, with a nominal range of 25 miles.

There is a current of about 2 knots generally running W or NW all the time which makes it
dangerous to pass between the islands so when approaching from the West one should pass
 10
round South West of Ile Royale, approaching the WPT on a bearing of 150°T which clears the
shoals to the north (Banc d’Alouette and banc de la Motte Piquet), or if coming from the East
one should pass around the South East of Ile St. Joseph having approached the WPT on a
bearing of 235°T. The islands and associated anchorages are easy to approach in the dark,
and Navionics charts are accurate, which makes the islands a very good land-fall if coming
from Brazil or from across the Atlantic. Leaving, unless going to Kourou in which case one
should proceed directly to the SWM (~190°T), one should take the reciprocal courses.

Anchorage. It is quite likely that a ship will be anchored just S of the islands as the US Sailing
Directions (En-Route) says “The anchorage at Iles du Salut is the most important anchorage
along the coast of the Guianas, this being due to the few ports along this coast capable of
affording shelter to ships of moderate size”. It goes on to say “depths of about 9m soft mud,
good shelter from the swell, and good holding ground”. And indeed the local tanker, Kerfons,
anchors here very frequently, lying about 500m West of the southern edge of Ile St Jospeh.

However, most yachts anchor closer to

Ile Royale in the Baie de Cocotiers in
about 4m. Holding here is patchier than
in the ship anchorage, with one or two
foul areas, so it’s as well to test that the
anchor has set properly. There is quite
good shelter from the prevailing NE or E
wind, but on occasion the wind swings to
the SE, in which case the Baie de
Cocotiers becomes uncomfortable; in
this event it’s best to move ¼ of a mile SE
and anchor off Ile St. Joseph just clear of
View of the anchorage, tourist catamaran in the foreground.
the mooring buoys.

Mooring buoys and pontoon. There are a number of substantial mooring buoys in both
anchorages, as ever in these situations taking up the best spots. They are for the tourist
catamarans which bring people every day from Kourou and so are invariably empty at night.
If one was in difficulty a buoy could doubtless be borrowed during the hours of darkness.
There’s a small jetty and pontoon landing on Ile Royale (see above left), but this should not
be used by visiting yachts. Among its functions it’s the monitoring point of the tide station for
Guyane. Visitor’s tenders are usually tied to one of the ladders on the stone wall some 70m
NW of the pontoon.

Formalities. There is no means to check in or out here, despite a Gendarmerie on Ile Royale,
but it is accepted that yachts will stay a few days to unwind after a passage, especially if
they’ve come from afar, before going the 10 miles to Kourou to check in properly. One should
probably fly the Q flag as from time to time the customs launch may come by but it’s very
low-key and relaxed. In fact, a number of yachts, particularly from South Africa, call here
before going on to the Caribbean and do not check in at all: this seems to be tolerated.

Facilities. All facilities, such as there are, are to be found on Ile Royale. There are rubbish bins
ashore, and in the centre of the island there is an auberge with bar and restaurant (and a gift
shop). But nothing else: there are no supplies to be bought or water to be had except what
one could, in extremis, beg from the auberge.

 11
History. As one wanders around it is startling
to discover how dark is the past of Les Îles du
Salut: a blot on the history of France. The ruins
are those of the infamous ‘Bagne de Cayenne’,
a prison for political prisoners where
conditions were particularly barbaric and from
which few ever returned. It was in its heyday
when Dreyfus was sent here after being
unjustly tried and wrongly convicted of
treason, but it continued for a further 60 years,
through the second world war when it was
blockaded by the United States during which
90% of the prisoners were allowed to starve to
death, and was only closed down in 1953. It
was the subject of the famous novel ‘Papillon’.
Various panels describing La Bagne and its
history can be seen in the buildings on Ile
Royale.

Prison work-house with lighthouse behind

Swimming from the boat is possible, which is
useful for scraping the hull especially after
the very high fouling which happens in the
river Kourou. Water visibility varies with the
tide but is never very good. There are sharks,
but as long as one stays close to the boat all
should be well.

Anchorage viewed from Isle Royale

Rocket launches. Yachts are chased away
(extremely politely) by the gendarmes
during Ariane launches as the islands are
both a video tracking station and in the
direct path in the event of a misfire.
Announcements are made on VHF
channel 16 in both French and English
warning of a launch and of the all-clear
afterwards. One doesn’t have to go far,
only about 5 miles, but one should bear
in mind the incessant west-going current
which could carry the unwary rather far
west thus making it a hard slog back.
Ariane seen from Artemis (courtesy of Alison Lofthouse).
Rockets are launched about once a
month.


 12

View of Devil's Island from Ile Royale. The passages between the islands are dangerous for navigation.

Ambience. Notwithstanding the past, it is actually very difficult to retain these grim thoughts
today. Despite the ruined prison buildings and the better-preserved governor’s and officers’
quarters it is a singularly charming place, especially in the late afternoon after the tourist
boats have gone. In fact, a little piece of tropical paradise with coconut palms, flowering
shrubs, monkeys, parrots and agoutis. In the square near the auberge, church and
gendarmerie one will see peacocks and parrots, and perhaps a caiman in the old pond. The
overwhelming impression is of tranquillity. And there are no mosquitos!
 13
Kourou

Tides: Iles Du Salut HW+0:20, LW-0:10
MHWS MLWS MHWN MLWN
3.3m 0.8m 2.5m 1.3m

SWM: 05°13.60’N, 052°36.99’W
Anchorage: 05°08.88’N, 052°38.80’W

Entrance. First find the SWM (RWVS, iso-phase white, 4s), and thence the channel is
extremely well buoyed with pairs of buoys all of which are lit. It is dredged to 2.3m but it’s
hard to stay exactly in the channel, particularly if one meets the dredger or a ship. Because of
the shallow banks either side it is usually flat water but there are strong cross-sets which have
to be allowed for. However, the least depth at the channel edge is around 1.2m (found
 14
between buoys K11 and K12) so even if swept a little off the dredged channel one should still
have at least 3.5m if within a couple of hours of HW. The entrance to the river proper is
between Pointe Guatémala on the south side, which is wooded, and Pointe des Roches on
the north where buildings can be seen. After this point the depths increase to about 3.5m,
and one should carry on as far as buoy K21 when the pontoons and anchorage can be clearly
seen on the north side.

Extract from SHOM chart showing the pontoons near K21

Pontoons. The seaward of the two

pontoons is for yachts and the other,
about 100m upstream, for local fishing
boats. At the head of the fishing boat
pontoon there is a refuelling station, but
it was closed for repair during 2016.
The yacht pontoon was built by the space
centre as a gift for the community and is

Yacht pontoon with tourist Catamarans on the outside

not really administered or maintained. Hence it will

almost certainly be full of Aluminium-hulled sailing
boats in various states of repair, most semi- This is lived on, but is not moving anytime soon!
abandoned and one or two which have, in fact,
sunk. The outer finger is reserved for the tourist catamarans which go to the Iles du Salut on
most days, hence during the middle of the day one could tie up alongside, for instance to fill
with water or to load heavy stores. Although there are security gates to the pontoon they are
not locked so one can come and go at any time.

The pontoons lead directly to the bottom of Avenue Charles de Gaulle which is the main street
of the area of town called Le Bourg. Le Bourg is quite lively with bars and restaurants as well
 15
as myriad Chinese shops and the vegetable market. It is quite safe to walk through here at a
reasonable hour of night.

Potable water of good quality is available on the pontoon and there are rubbish bins ashore.
There is a toilet block also, but it’s kept locked. The security guard will open it on request
when he’s there, but that’s by no means all the time.

Anchorage. The river is wide and apart from the dredged and buoyed channel in the middle
one can anchor either side anywhere between the yacht pontoons and the commercial port
in 3 to 4m, but the usual spot is on the north side between buoys K21 and K23. There is room
for 400 yachts, but there will probably only be 4! Beware that tides run hard.

It is expected that visiting yachts at anchor will leave their tenders attached to the yacht
pontoon when going ashore. Although outboard and dinghy theft is by no means unheard-of
in Kourou, they are unlikely to be stolen from here, at least by day, even if not locked up
whereas the fishing boat pontoon is more dubious.

The buoyed channel continues upstream for a mile and a half or so past the yacht pontoons
and anchorage to the commercial port, but yachts should not normally go there. In any case,
just upstream of the port the channel is blocked by a road bridge.

Customs. The customs office is near the commercial port at the bottom of an unnamed road
in the Zone Industriel du Pariacabo. This road is opposite a company called ‘Thalassa’ on Rue
Marcel Dassault. One can go there by road, which is a
45 minute walk from town, or by taking the dinghy up
river past the commercial port and tying up on the
pontoon which is reserved for the launches of the
Douanes and the Gendarmerie (it’s polite to ask
permission). One then has to walk right round the port
to reach their office, but the customs officials are very
friendly and pleased to help. Office hours are 08:30 to
12:00, Monday to Friday.

Unnamed road leading to the customs office

The town of Kourou has excellent facilities and pretty much anything is possible except sail
repair. The tourist catamaran skippers are helpful and can give advice about local yacht
services, mechanics, welders etc making it possibly the best place in Guyane for structural
repairs afloat, although you will have to project-manage it all yourself and must speak French.

It has little crime and the presence of some 1300 expatriate workers at the space centre –
Kourou being the where Ariane rockets of the European Space Agency are launched – makes
for a purposeful feel to the town. We recommend that this be where one checks-in to Guyane
if coming from Brazil or from across the Atlantic instead of stopping at Dégrad des Cannes.
Similarly, it’s also a good place to check out if bound east.

If one wants to go to Cayenne or to the international airport (about 1hr drive away) Kourou
is a good place to hire a car, although there are daily buses to and from Cayenne. Taxis are
non-existent and there are very few local buses so hiring a car is a pretty good idea at some
point in one’s stay. However, we don’t entirely recommend it as a place to leave the boat
unattended at anchor for more than a day or two due to the fierce tides in the anchorage:
many boats report dragging in the soft mud at some point during their stay, particularly when
 16
the prevailing easterly wind, reinforced by the afternoon onshore breeze, is acting against a
spring ebb.

Internet. A small number of bars and restaurants have WiFi. In particular, the Sports Bar
opposite the post office on Place de La Condamine and the Brazilian restaurant on Rue du
Marché are recommended.

ATM. There are several in town and at the major supermarkets. A convenient ATM is at the
LCL bank on the corner of Rue de l’Amiral Estrées and Rue des Pères Jésuites.

PAYG SIM. There are several shops in town which sell SIM cards. Orange and Digicel both
have shops along the Rue des Pères Jésuites. There is good 3G but as yet (2016) no 4G.

Launderette. There is a good launderette, open 7am to
8pm, 7 days a week, in Place J Kepler. It takes notes as
well as coins, which is a pleasant surprise. It is
conveniently near the Sports Bar, or, nearer at hand
and with rather more character and better food, the
restaurant/bar ‘Lou Gabian’.
Alternatively there is a laundry service, Kourou
Pressing, kouroupressing@gmail.com, +594 22 48 71 at
2, Place Simarouba.

Fuel. Must be obtained in cans from garages. The Total garage on Avenue de Pariacabo in the
Z.I. de Pariacabo is where the local catamaran skippers go. It might be possible to get a lift
from one of them or even give him your cans to fill. This garage has a café which is one of very
few in Kourou which has air-conditioning so is quite a welcome watering-hole if one has
walked from the centre of town to the industrial estate or to the customs office. There is also
a small filling station at the top of Avenue Charles de Gaulle, which is much closer.

Gas. There is no place to refill one’s own bottles but one can buy or exchange French gas
bottles (butane only) at all garages.

Produce markets. The fish market is at bottom of
Avenue Charles de Gaulle near the fishing boat
pontoon. It operates every morning except Sunday.
The vegetable and fruit market is also on Avenue
Charles de Gaulle, in and around a purpose built
market hall. It operates on Wednesdays and
Saturdays.

Supermarkets. On Avenue de France there is a
Leader-Price, and about 600m further on a Super-U
supermarket. There are several 8 à huit convenience stores in the town, particularly near the
town end of Le Bourg.

 17
Chandlery. On Rue Zénobé Gramme in the Z.I. de Pariacabo there is a large chandlery which
also sells a wide range of camping equipment and fishing tackle (as well as aquarium fish!).

Chandlery outside …and inside

It has everything which a sports fishing boat might want, including outboard motors, anchors,
windlasses, navigation lights etc. plus ropes, shackles and other normal small sailing yacht
spares. No charts.

Hardware. There is an extraordinary array of hardware and fishing tackle at GuyaBrico, 7 Rue
du Marché in Le Bourg, or on a more industrial scale at GAC on Rue Gustave Eiffel in the Z.I.
de Pariacabo. (GAC is a chain throughout Guyane and has an excellent range of tools,
fasteners, paints, plumbing, hoses and general industrial equipment: it is possibly the only
place to purchase stainless steel bolts to A4/316).

Car hire. Pretty much all the usual companies have an office here, including Hertz, Sixt,
Europcar, Speedy etc. All are in the Z.I. de Pariacabo, except that ADA also has an office in
town near Le Bourg on Rue des Freres Amet in the Zone Artisinale de Cabalou, as well as a
larger site adjacent to the Total garage in the Z.I. de Pariacabo, www.guyaneokaz.com, +594
32 39 22. The same company has an office in Saint-Laurent-du-Maroni so if planning to hire a
car there as well it can be convenient to get onto their computer.

Industrial. In Kourou there is significant industry supporting the space centre plus general
light industrial activity such as metal fabricators and welders of Aluminium and stainless steel,
timber yards, battery specialists, truck & agricultural diesel engine repair and spares, and
much more. Most of these are on Rue Marcel Dassault or Rue Denis Papin in the Z.I. de
Pariacabo. In particular, STMG (www.foselev.com, +594 32 83 60) do welding and Alutech
(+594 32 70 77) supply and make structures in Aluminium.

Restaurants. Hôtel des Roches is on the headland of Pointe des Roches and has a swimming
pool and restaurant, and of course rooms if one fancies a night ashore. Several more
restaurants and bars, including L’Aigrette bleu which has good food and where one can dine
indoors in air-conditioning or outside looking out to sea, can be found along the beach front
on Avenue de l'Anse near the tourist office. In Le Bourg, and so nearer ‘home’, Le Flamingo
serves creole food and local game (try ‘tatou’, which is banded armadillo) and behind the
market there is Sabor Brasiliero which specializes in Brazilian food and grills meat over a wood
fire.

 18
Days out. Kourou is the site of the Centre
National d’Études Spatieux (CNES). Note that
the pronunciation of this acronym is not “say
enn euh ess” as one would expect, but with a
hard C, as “k-ness”. Trips around the space-
port can be arranged in advance, and there is
a museum on site.

Further afield one can go walking on the sentier (trail) de la Montagne des Singes which has
trails through rain-forest to a look-out point, as well as an arboretum with panels describing
the tropical hard-woods, their growth and uses. There are a variety of picnic benches and
shelters. Alternatively, Cayenne is only a 75-minute drive and makes a good day out.

Above left: view from the top of the Montagne des Singes
with Les Iles du Salut visible in the background. Above:
rainforest seen from the path to the summit.
Left: Farmland on the way to Cayenne.

 19
Fleuve Mana

Tides as Fleuve Maroni entrance
MHWS MLWS MHWN MLWN
3.3m 0.9m 2.5m 1.6m

Approach: 05°51.80’N, 053°51.74’W
Bar: 05°44.0’N, 053°50.5’W

See plan for Fleuve Maroni.

Entrance. Fleuve Mana is approached from the same SWM as for Fleuve Maroni, but from
there one heads a little E of S towards the mouth of the river (which is not visible from
offshore). The US pilot directions state that one enters between Pointe Française and Pointe
Isère but the area in front of Awala-Yalimapo has now silted and one needs to go further east
– see sketch map – and find the river mouth which is less than ½ a mile wide. The depths in
the entrance range from 0.3 to 1.2m so vessels should not cross the bar within 2 hours of
either side of low tide, and really the port is now restricted to boats drawing less than about
1.5m. One should also avoid approaching the S bank of the river too closely as it is
encumbered by tree trunks which are immersed at HW and are dangerous, making local
knowledge highly desirable, if not essential.

Once past the bar there is 2.5m or more in mid channel, but pass S of the islet which is about
4 miles in. Mana lies on the W bank of the river about 9 miles above the mouth. There is a
distinctive church which provides a landmark and a derelict landing stage with 5.8m alongside
but it is probably safer to anchor in mid-stream. Half a mile above Mana there is a road bridge.

Mana is famous for its church and for the ‘Buffalo’ restaurant (closed on Tuesdays) which is
reputed to be the only place in Guyane to get a proper South-American steak. There are
variety of small shops, local restaurants and a bank with ATM. The river is apparently very
well stocked with piranha, so swimming is not recommended!

Acknowledgement: the authors have not themselves visited Fleuve Mana by boat and the
pilotage information is provided courtesy of local yachtsman Davide Matelicani of Marina
SLM, from whom it would be prudent to obtain more up-to date information.


 20
Fleuve Maroni

HW: Iles du Salut +0:35. LW: Iles du Salut +0:31
MHWS MLWS MHWN MLWN
3.3m 0.9m 2.5m 1.6m

Safe-Water Mark: 05°51.80’N, 053°51.74’W
Pointe Française anchorage: 05°44.44’N, 053°57.17’W
Crique Coswine anchorage: 05°41.4’N, 053°58.1’W
Anchorage nearing town: 05°30.9’N, 054°00.8’W

shallows

Approximate
course to Mana

shallows

Pointe Française

Entrance to the River Maroni

Entrance. The channel is very well buoyed and lit with the shallowest part being between
buoys M2 and M3 where we measured 2.4m LAT in November 2016. One can thus enter at
any state of the tide except perhaps right at LW springs. There is a strong W going set between
the SWM and the ‘MBF’ westerly cardinal buoy 5 miles further in, after which the tides run
more or less up and down river, albeit at 2 knots or more so it is much better to enter on the
flood, and to go down-stream on the ebb.

 21
The buoys in the entrance, up to and including the W Cardinal buoy ‘MBF’, are moved fairly
frequently despite there being very little commercial traffic (perhaps one ship a month) but
thereafter the channel is fairly stable. In any event the river is well marked all the way to
Saint-Laurent-du-Maroni 25 miles further. In November 2016 the channel and buoys were
some 0.4 miles to the NW of where they were shown on Navionics charts at that time.

In the entrance and as far as the mouth of Crique Coswine there is a lot of fishing boat activity
with long nets so it is probably better to enter by daylight, but nonetheless a night entrance
is possible. In this case it would almost certainly be more prudent to anchor once in the river
and wait for daylight as there are logs in the water and the lit buoys are quite far apart once
one is upstream of Crique Coswine.

Anchorages. Although one could probably anchor pretty much anywhere, there are two
excellent recognized anchorages near the mouth: one at Pointe Française in about 3.5m and
the other just inside Crique Cowsine in about 4.5m. In light winds it is also possible to anchor
in about 6m near the SWM and wait for daylight or the flood tide. Several fishing boats are
likely to be anchored nearby.
The anchorage at Pointe Française is quite close to
the east bank, which makes it sheltered from the
prevailing wind.

One can land on the sandy foreshore and walk
round the point to the pretty and well-tended
Amerindian village of Yalimapo where there is a
snack bar and some craft shops.

Beware that the water is very shallow in front of
Anchorage at Pointe Française, looking upstream the village so don’t try to anchor there.

Three miles beyond Pointe Française, Crique
Coswine winds some 8 miles inland and is deep
and easy to navigate, see section on the
Creeks. However, if just waiting the tide it is
best to enter in mid channel, where the least
depth is about 3.4m, and to go a quarter of a
mile further in where there is good holding in
mud in about 4.5m.

Anchored in Crique Coswine

Channel to Saint Laurent. One should carry a

mean depth of around 8m with one or two
spots of only 4m. If in doubt the best water
invariably lies near the east, i.e. French, shore.

Once past Crique Coswine make your way to
05°39.26’N, 053°59.86’W inshore of the M9
Approaching M11 buoy lateral buoy. Hug the shore, leaving the M11
and M11A buoys to starboard, before altering course a little to starboard to pass outside the
green port-hand buoy M14. From here the course is more or less due South past Crique
 22
Vaches in deep (10m) water. Opposite Crique Vaches there is another peaceful anchorage in
~ 5m in a pool off a tiny sandy beach on the island of Arouba-Nord (officially in Suriname, but
nobody pays any attention) however it is only accessible above half-tide as there’s a horse
(least depth ~0.8m LAT) in mid-stream.

Anchorage in the pool at Arouba Nord Little piece of paradise nearing Saint Laurent

After Crique Vaches one carries on to the WPT at 05°35.59’N, 054°00.16’W and again one
hugs the east shore, past Crique aux Boefs Lamentins near 05°34.43’N, 053°59.90’W and on,
past some dwellings, to the town of Saint-Laurent-du-Maroni. There is a green port-hand
buoy M18 (not on Navionics) before the long-term anchorage near 05°30.9’N, 054°00.8’W,
which is some 600m downstream of the town. There are no facilities near this anchorage.

Just downstream of the moorings in Saint
Laurent one should make sure to pass outside
the ruins of the pier which project 60m from
the bank.

Anchorage off Paddock 600m downstream from SLM

As one approaches the moorings the most

obvious feature is the wreck of the ship ‘Edith
The Edith Cavell to the right, pontoon to the left and
Cavell’ which looks like an island, being moorings in between
covered in trees. The mooring buoys lie both
up and downstream of the Edith Cavell. Larger yachts tend to take those downstream in about
6m, although there is plenty of water on all buoys other than those closest to shore. Marina
SLM will advise.

A mile away, on the opposite bank of the Maroni and a little upstream, one can see the small
town of Albina, which is in Suriname. If desiring to visit it’s very much safer and easier to leave
ones yacht at Saint Laurent and take the ferry (or hire a pirogue, but you will have to have a
visa and have your passport stamped anyway, and this can only be done at the ferry port).
 23
Saint-Laurent-du-Maroni

HW: Iles du Salut +1:071. LW: Iles du Salut +2:16
(1) This is very dependent on river flow. In the dry season the flood tide lasts up to an hour longer and
the tides are more symmetrical.

Pointe Française

Suriname French Guiana

 24
Saint-Laurent-du-Maroni is an excellent place to leave the boat for a month or three in
perfect safety. The moorings have been laid by the Marina SLM to European specifications
and were supplied from the UK by the much respected company Bradney Chain. They are
suitable for boats up to 50 tonnes gross weight and are inspected frequently. The water is
fresh (only 35ppm TDS) which is an important advantage of Saint Laurent du Maroni to a
cruising yacht: much accumulated fouling drops off after a few days here and toilets, engine
and outboard motors benefit as well. Galvanised chain lasts forever.

Marina SLM (+594 (0)694 94 61 57, office@marinaslm.com) is the brain-child of Mr. Davide
Matelicani, and his stated aim, as one himself, is to provide exactly what long-term cruisers
will want. He is usually around, but in his absence either call on VHF channel 72 (‘Marina SLM’)
or just pick up a spare mooring and go ashore to the marina office and café (open 9am – 8pm,
7 days a week) where he or his manager Samuel will arrange matters. They speak English,
Italian and Spanish as well as some German (and French of course).

Mr. Matelicani is an Honorary Local Representative of the Cruising Association (CA HLR), an
OCC Port Officer Representative and a Trans-Ocean Stützpunkt, as well as organizing
“Nereid’s Rally” ( http://marinaslm.com/rally ) every year.

The marina offers:
• Check-in and check-out assistance
• Provisioning
• Laundry
• Internet
• Repairs, technicians and spare parts
• Fuel and gas refills
• Yacht and freight management
• Airport pick-up and drop-off
• Mail-order chandlery Careening beach
• Commercial and salvage diving + bottle refilling

There is a plan to develop it further to include
conventional finger berths, plus associated
water and electricity, but at present the
marina consists of 20 deep water moorings, a
landing pontoon where one can come
alongside for potable water or tie up one’s
dinghy and the café / office. There is a
careening beach next to the pontoon.

At the marina office is a washing machine and
tumble dryer, a toilet, internet access and a
bar which also serves some snacks and Italian
Marina landing pontoon Ice-cream. Unfortunately, there are no
showers on-site but they are available at the close-by municipal swimming pool. Other
facilities are arranged by the marina staff as and when required: in fact, the only thing which
can’t yet be arranged is sail repair, although even that is planned. Short-term moorings cost
about €10 per night for a 42’ boat.

Saint Laurent du Maroni is a good place to import goods from Europe or the US via courier
since usually one can get things delivered to a yacht in-transit without having to pay import
duty. The staff of Marina SLM are very well versed in the procedure and will assist by providing
 25
a letter to be attached to the package (an ‘attestation de mise à bord’) and by chasing up the
courier or customs on your behalf. Fedex or DHL are probably the best couriers to use. Allow
7 to 10 days.

The town of Saint-Laurent-du-Maroni is pleasant enough, comprising a multi-racial town
centre and several satellite townships which were constructed for waves of refugees from
civil war and genocide in Vietnam and in Suriname. It has the usual dark past of French Guiana,
a clearing camp for political prisoners in this case, and an astonishing number of elegant
government buildings: Marie, Police, Gendarmerie, courts etc. Enough, one would think, for
a city with a population of a couple of million instead of a town of fewer than 50,000. There
are a variety of restaurants, bars and shops, but no buildings of any architectural merit other
than those in government service. There is a hospital (with a larger one under construction)
and an airport with internal flights.

Formalities. If arriving from another port in Guyane there are no formalities, but normally
this is either the first or last port of call so one needs at some point to visit Immigration and
Customs. The marina staff take care of customs, and will drive visitors to the immigration
counter in the BAC (river ferry port) for stamps in one’s passport into or out of the country.

Transport / crew change. There are flights to Paris from Cayenne, or one can drive to
Parimaribo across the border in Suriname and fly from there to Amsterdam, several
Caribbean destinations and Miami. The two airports are about equal travel time from here
(allow 3 hours).

Ferry. If going via Paramaribo one has to take the ferry from the BAC terminal. Note that a
tourist visa is required in advance by citizens of most nationalities travelling to Suriname, even
if just in transit to the airport. This can be bought from the consulate on Rue Justin Catayée
in the centre of Saint-Laurent-du-Maroni. Its price goes up and down, but in November 2016
was €30 per person. It’s not really a visa, just a tax.

Supermarket. There are several convenience stores in town, but by far the best selection and
quality is available from the large Super-U supermarket on Rue Christophe Columb at the
point where it changes name to Rue J. Symphorien. Open 7am to 8pm 6 days a week, and
9am – midday on Sunday. Almost any French food stuff or drink can be bought and there is a
café and an ATM – which is frequently the only one in town that is working. It is a 20-minute
walk (or 5 minutes by hired bicycle) from the marina.
Produce market. The fruit and vegetable
market in the centre of town operates
every Wednesday and Saturday mornings
and is worth visiting for the spectacle even

if not buying. A specialty of the food stalls in the

market building is Vietnamese soup: try it for a
substantial and different breakfast!
 26

Fuel. Is only available in cans from garages. The Total garage on Rue J. Symphorien is
convenient.

Gas. The marina will arrange refills (butane only) of most cylinders.

Laundrette. Also on Rue J. Symphorien is a laverie should you wish to avoid using the facilities
at the marina.

Hardware. There are several good hardware stores, of which GAC about 1.2 km out of town
on Rue Gaston Monnerville is probably the best stocked.

Bicycle hire. The tourist office, open 9 – 12:30 and 14:00 – 17:30, which is in the same building
as the marina has bicycles for hire at €4 per hour or €10 per half day. They are rather
cumbersome but convenient for trips to Super-U or GAC.

Car hire. Behind Super-U in the Zone Industrielle is an office of ADA which is very convenient.
http://www.ada.fr/location-voiture-guyane-saint-laurent.html, +594 34 19 81.

Other shops. There is a bookshop next to the cinema on Rue Schoelcher where one can buy
walking maps (Cartes Randonées, www.ign.fr) at a scale of 1:25,000 which are useful if
planning a trip up the creeks or if walking on any unmarked trails.

Leisure. There is a swimming pool close to the marina, and a cinema in town. The tourist office
is in the same building as the office of Marina SLM

Things to do locally
Although well stocked and lively, Saint Laurent du Maroni is a small town, and if staying there
any length of time one eventually craves a trip elsewhere. Recommended things to do
include:

Pirogue trips up or down river to see the creeks,
Amerindian villages and crafts and maybe some
wildlife. The trips vary in duration from a couple
of hours, a half-day, a full day and a two-day
trip. One books places via the tourist office.
There are several companies running them but
we can recommend “Wayah Beach”, the
proprietor of which, Denis (opposite, seated in
the centre of his pirogue), has a particularly
encyclopaedic knowledge of the creeks.
 27

Les Chutes Voltaire are a cascade of
waterfalls over a 200m section of river with
many rock pools in which one can spend a
lazy day swimming in crystal clear water (in
the dry season anyway). A 4x4 is usually
necessary (and can be arranged at the
tourist office) for the 75km drive on laterite
tracks before arriving at Camp Voltaire,
where one can park and then walk on a
distinct path about 4km to the falls. We saw
a variety of wildlife during this excursion,
including a rare jaguarundi, several monkeys
and an astonishing diversity of insects and small fish. One can sometimes also see sloths, giant
otters or caimans.

It's my mango Jaguarondi This Stick-Insect was fully 15cm long
and was fishing in the moving water!
Also at Camp Voltaire is the very pretty and
welcoming Auberge des Chutes Voltaire
which has a few double rooms as well as
several thatched shelters (‘carbet’s) in which
one sleeps in a hammock under a mosquito
net. It serves excellent local food (mostly wild
game) which all guests eat together sitting at
a communal table. It was constructed 30
years ago as an eco-lodge by the parents of
the proprietress, Eva. Much recommended
for a couple of days on dry land for a change!
Reservation is only possible by email. Some of the gardens at the Auberge des Chutes Voltaire

If sleeping in a carbet you have to bring your own hammock, bedding and net, see
www.aubergechutesvoltaire.com. Contact: reservation.aubergevoltaire@gmail.com.

If slightly more adventurous one can carry on past the falls for another 10km or so, navigating
through the jungle as best one can by compass and GPS as there is no defined path, to the
giant slab of granite called Inselberg. This rises 100m above the rainforest canopy and so once
one has climbed up there are stunning views. It is possible to take a guide, but we met a
couple doing it unguided with a small baby in a papoose, a toddler in hand and grandmother
bringing up the rear.

 28
Awala-Yalimapo are a pair of adjoining Amerindian villages at
the mouth of the Maroni, a 30km car journey from Saint
Laurent. Yalimapo has a beach one can swim from – albeit
with the usual brown and turbid water – and various picnic
tables as well as a snack bar and some craft stalls. At dawn
and at dusk one should avoid Awala and Yalimapo however;
the mosquitos are reputed to be the worst in Guyane, and
even at midday it’s best not to stray too far off the beach! In season (January to April) you
may see turtles coming to the beach to lay eggs (it’s a protected nature reserve for this
reason) or, if lucky, a crab-eating raccoon.

On the way there and back one passes through the small town of Mana, which is worth
stopping at as well (see section on Fleuve Mana).


 29
Creeks adjoining the Fleuve Maroni

Shallow patch

The creeks (criques in French) on the east side of the river Maroni between Saint Laurent and
the sea form a rewarding cruising ground in their own right. Being part of the greater
Amazonian river system one can indulge in the adventure of an Amazonian cruise but at a
much friendlier scale: setting off on a Saturday morning one can be back in time for dinner at
a French restaurant on Sunday night without difficulties either with authority or with people.

Apart from an absence of fresh-water dolphins or tapirs, one may see any of the same fauna
one would see in Brazil, including Jaguars, Howler monkeys, Sloths, Parrots, Toucans, Red Ibis,
Anaconda and Caimans. The geology of Guyane plays an important part in the experience; it’s
 30
granitic bedrock with a very thin covering of mud (and rain-forest). The creeks are a ria, i.e. a
set of sunken rivers, and are surprisingly deep. Depths go up and down, changing from 20m
to 6m and back again in a boat’s length, indicating that the bottom cannot be mud but is in
fact granite boulders, which has to be borne in mind when choosing an anchorage: look for
an area of even soundings and preferably near a river junction where there will in all likelihood
be a patch of mud or sand with reasonable holding.

There are no official charts but where depths are shown in the plan they were measured by
the author in November 2016 and are shown reduced to LAT. Where no depths are shown it
should not necessarily be assumed shallow, just unexplored. It would be as well to buy a copy
of the IGN map number 4701 on a scale of 1:25,000 if going further than shown in the plan in
this book.

Generally, the water is fresh but obviously is more brackish the nearer one is to the sea.
Currents are mostly tidal, running at a knot or so. The water is a bit less turbid than in the
Fleuve Maroni which makes for more enjoyable swimming but there are piranhas so it would
be unwise to put food scraps into the water at any anchorage where one might subsequently
want to go swimming, although attacks are extremely unlikely. Nonetheless men are best
advised to wear swimming trunks.

There is no particularly logical order to a passage through the creeks, so what is described
here is only one suggestion.

Crique aux Boefs Lamentins. The first 6.8km meander first to port and then a long bend to
starboard followed by a straight section of about 800m. Mean depths are about 10m. The
creek then divides in two and becomes much narrower. One takes the turning to port where
depths are still of the order of 10m or a bit more. This section is 7.9km long and winds
somewhat, terminating in a straight section of about 1km running NNE where it joins Crique
Vaches. At this point one could go either to port or to starboard, but most yachts turn to port.

Crique Vaches. To enter from Fleuve Maroni, the best water lies 1/3rd of the way from the
north bank where one should have about 6.5m. It is then about 11km in depths between 9m
and 14m to the junction with Crique aux Beufs Lamentins. It is wide and easy to navigate, and
one could easily go on a couple of km further, certainly as far as the junction with Crique
Rouge which branches off to the south. Coming from Crique aux Beufs Lamentins it is usual
to turn downstream however, passing the two criques of Petit Ben Amar and Grand Ben Amar
after 3.6km, and turning to starboard into Crique 1900 after another 2.2km.

Crique 1900 has depths between 7m and 13m and, while narrow - so watch out for leaning
trees - is straight forward. After about 3km it joins Crique Canard.

Crique Canard runs between Crique 1900 and Crique Coswine, and is 9.7km long. It mostly
has depths between 7m and 12m but has one shallow patch of 2.0m which forms a tidal gate
for deep-draft yachts. On joining the creek from Crique 1900 turn to starboard, ie E, and go
about 4.3km following a long meander north and then back south and then south east. Near
05°38.22’N, 053°57.42’W there is a small creek joining from the south: it is useful to find this
point as a reference before going further, and in fact the mouth of this little creek is a good
spot to anchor and have a swim if waiting for the tide, or wanting lunch.
After another 250m Crique Canard widens into a small lagoon, and it is here that one has to
hug the north bank, staying only about 10m from the trees and going dead slow. At around
05°38.20’N, 053°57.19’W the depth will reduce to 2.0m plus the tidal rise, so if done at mid
tide one should have 3.5m or more. It is clear on the echo sounder once one is past this
 31
shallow patch as depths increase again to between 7m and 12m for the rest of the way to the
junction with Crique Coswine, 4.7km further on.

Crique Coswine is wide and easy to navigate with depths up to 20m in places, but mostly
around 7m in the stretches downstream of the junction with Crique Canard and 12m or more
upstream. There is however a bar at the entrance with least depth around 3.4m.

Arriving in Crique Coswine from Crique Canard one has a choice of up or downstream. The
trip upstream winds gently for 6.8km until one reaches a lake about 0.6km long and 0.3km
wide. One can anchor for the night in this lake in complete calm and isolation (but test the
anchor has held); the best place is near the head of the lake where tall forest trees come right
to the water’s edge on the west bank as most of the rest of the lake is bordered by mangroves.
Safe navigation is possible for at least 2km further. There is excellent fishing in the lake.

Going downstream from the junction with Crique Canard it is 3.5km at first north and then
west to the Amerindian village of Ayawande where there is a pontoon landing. Yachts anchor
just downstream and of this in around 7m, but one can take a dinghy and go ashore. People
are very friendly but there are little or no supplies to be had. It is a further 3.2km to the
anchorage described on p19 and another 400m to the bar at the mouth of the creek. After
that proceed as described in the section on Fleuve Maroni.